Don't Forget Me
by ElectricBlaster
Summary: Aryll wanders out to talk to Link the night before he leaves with Tetra and the pirates.
Link sat by the dock of his home on a peaceful night with a full moon. It was Outset Island. It was the place he was born and raised with his sister, Aryll. After everything he saw, went, and been through, it was finally over… Aryll and Tetra were safe and so was the entire Great Sea… but at what cost? he thought.

The evil king was defeated, but the memory of Hyrule had been washed away. He would've lost his life… No! The entire world would've lost their lives if the King of Hyrule hadn't intervened and touched the Triforce first!

The relationship he had with the King of Red Lions was mutual at first. He had helped Link in a desperate hour and told him the key of how to defeat Ganondorf. Over time, however, Link began to view as more than just a guide. He had seen him as a true friend… but when Hyrule was flooded for the last time, the king chose to vanish with his kingdom.

Link had been deeply saddened since that day… However, somehow he understood why he did what he did. It was his kingdom and he wanted to go down with it, just as a captain goes down with their ship. Tetra wanted to save him and find a new land to call Hyrule but as he said that day:

" _That land… will not be Hyrule… It will be YOUR land!"_

What saddened Link the most was that he didn't get the chance to say good-bye. He had been so shocked at the king's sudden decision, that all he did back there was hold out his hand, hoping to save him, or make him change his mind…

It was too late now. He was long gone and Link knew he had to move on…

"...Big Brother…?" said a voice.

Link had been so caught up in his thoughts that the sudden sound surprised him. It was that familiar voice of his sister.

Aryll came up the dock and met up with her brother.

"A-Aryll?" said Link. "What is it?"

Aryll sat silently by Link. Something was troubling her. Link could see it in her eyes.

"What is it?" Link said once more.

"I know…" Aryll said, sadly. "You're leaving tomorrow with Miss Tetra and the pirates..."

"So you found out," said Link. "Though, I would never want to hide anything from you."

"Are… Are you gonna miss me?" said Aryll.

"Of course I'm gonna miss you!" I said. "I'm gonna miss you and Grandma everyday! But don't worry! I promise to write you letters frequently and visit whenever I can."

Aryll looked even sadder.

"You could just stay…" she said. "Then you wouldn't have to visit. It would be just like before… before… you know…"

Link sighed and gazed at the sea.

"It would be nice…" he said, "but, after what I've seen… I can't just go back to the way things were… It would never be the same, no matter how hard I try to make it seem so… I saw an entire world before me… and I know there's more out there to see."

Aryll almost started to cry, but she grew angry instead.

"It… It's not fair, Big Brother!" Aryll shouted. "The giant bird took me to that fortress. I was so scared and worried about you, wondering if you were okay, or if I was going to ever see you or Grandma again… You can't just save me and leave us! I need you, Big Brother! I don't want you to go!"

"Aryll, please!" Link pleaded. "Calm down! Can't you see I'm sad, too?!"

Aryll looked up at her old sibling. Seeing Aryll in so much pain was making Link feel bad, too. She didn't want to cause her brother sadness.

"I had to go through a lot to save you…" said Link. "I fought monsters, went through dungeons, and found incredible items… Even when things got tough, I knew I had to be strong if I ever wanted to see you again. I had to be strong to save you. Now it's your turn, Aryll. You have to be strong and look after Grandma and the island. Can you do that for me?"

Aryll nodded. "Okay, Big Brother…" she said. "I promise to take care of everyone."

Link smiled warmly. Then he realized he almost forgotten something.

"Oh, yeah!" he said, reaching into his pocket. "Here ya go, Aryll." Link pulled out Aryll's telescope. "I almost forgot to give this back to you," he said, holding it out. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. It was such a great gift."

Aryll looked at her old telescope. This was her prized possession. She remembered lending it to Link like it was yesterday. She remembered him being so happy. Aryll eyes filled with tears as she pushed to the telescope back towards Link's direction.

"What's the matter, Aryll?" Link said, concerned. "Don't you want it back?"

"K-Keep it…" Aryll said, starting to cry. "S-So you don't… forget about me…"

Link wanted to cry too. Aryll was letting him keep her most favorite thing in the world! She really was trying to be strong. He grabbed his sister and held her close as tears came from his eyes.

"Thank-you, Aryll…" he said, quietly. "I promise I won't forget you…"

Aryll knew no matter what she said to him, Link would still want to leave with Tetra to explore new lands. Tetra and Link had explained to her everything. Things that were supposedly "big, important, grown-up things" as Tetra had said back in the Forsaken Fortress. Link was the Hero of Winds. He was destined to see the world. Now Aryll had to know the "big, important, grown-up things" to know why he had to do what he had to do.

Link had to be strong to save Aryll. Now Aryll had to do the same and watch over the people of Outset, especially their grandmother who had raised them with care. She loved her Big Brother and she didn't want to let him down...


End file.
